Voice of the Voters: The presidential race

Monday

Sep 29, 2008 at 9:03 PM

IíM READY TO GOI am offering my services as Vice-President, and if necessary, President of the United States.

I have not been a hockey mom, but I have been a soccer mom, swim mom, track mom, and little league baseball mom. I have five children, two of whom served in the U.S. Navy and one in the Peace Corps. One married his pregnant girlfriend.

I have a picture of me holding a shotgun at age 15. I was voted best figure in my sophomore class in college. I received my passport in 1953, lived in a foreign country and have a photograph of me confronting Castro's rebels in the early morning hours of January 1st, 1959.

I have traveled through Russia, Europe, Latin America, all of the continental United States and Alaska.

I have executive experience as president of my condominium association, where I had to preside over a budget, solve personnel problems and climbed rooftops to discuss repairs. I taught school and was a substitute teacher for 20 years; dealing with many problems associated with education.

Do my experiences qualify me to be a candidate for Vice-President of the United States? Will I vote for a man who considers someone with these or similar experiences to be the best person to serve our country? I most certainly will not.Ursula P. Gamble,Gainesville

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE DEBATEWhat appeared to be a humdrum presidential debate taught me much.

One participant was a rude, insulting, irascible old man, who, I believe as president, would send more of our young American gallants to their deaths, because of his belligerence. The opponent was an obviously intelligent, thoughtful, young man with a plan.

John McCane seemed to believe that because he was an officer and gentleman, by an act of Congress, he knew how to be a president. I was also an officer and gentleman, combat artillery forward observer, who was taught duty, honor and country. McCane obviously forgot his honor pledge, as evidenced in this debate, talking down to his opponent.

As our president, Sen. Obama made it clear that he was a highly educated gentleman, who could speak to friends and enemies alike, and represent us with honor, at home and abroad, in all of his acts and negotiations. McCane, with his obvious bad humour, could easily irritate, when diplomacy was called for, and bring us to the edge, or actually, into war, to satisfy his anger, couched as America having been insulted.

Eight years of an inept president who wasted our finances, brought us into the wrong war, causing the death of thousands of our valiant youth, oblivious to what an American president, without honor, hath wrought. McCain would only be more of the same. Time for a thoughtful change.Samuel J. Krumholz,Gainesville

WONDERING ABOUT MCCAINíS JUDGEMENTLet us assume Governor Palin is a very decent, fine young woman and mother as I honestly believe she is.

Next, assume you are the Republican nominee for president, will be the oldest president to have ever served if elected, suffered great physical privation for five years, have had several cancerous tumors removed and, most important, you would rather lose an election than cause America to lose a war.

With the above in mind, you would realize, beyond any doubt, that the person you choose for vice president might very well become the president who has to protect America in the event of war. Would you then be able to choose Sarah Palin from the pool of millions of American women available as the best person to take over? I think not.

Frankly, I used to admire John McCain for his Straight Talk Express and his tendency to vote what he thought was right despite any adverse consequences, even though I disagreed with many of his decisions. With this one decision, which might be the most important of his entire life, I think he has clear indicated he places personal ambition above the welfare of his country.William D. Hedges,Gainesville

REASONS TO BE GRATEFULRather than attempt to understand the infatuation with Sarah Palin, I've chosen to be grateful for the many things I've learned since her selection as McCain's running mate.

1. Firing public servants you don't like is easy if you're powerful enough.2. Jihad is not limited to radical Muslims.3. U.S. citizens don't like to vote for officials who are smarter than themselves.4. Abstinence-only sex education doesn't work.5. People can be trained not to say "nucular."6. Shooting wolves from airplanes is sickening.7. Tina Fey is really funny.8. Alaskan youth have serious drug problems.9. One doesn't need to know the duties of a position to apply for it.10. Feminism now means taking away a woman's right to choose, abusing the environment, and opposing the Fair Pay Act.Harris Max,Gainesville

A Federal Reserve study in 2000 characterized subprime mortgages as "somewhat profitable" and creating only slightly more defaults than other kinds. Further, CRA lending dried up during Bush's presidency, while subprime lending grew, confirming CRA innocence.

Moreover, Traiger & Hinckley's study of CRA lending in 2006 (published 2008) concluded that CRA banks made substantially fewer of the risky home purchase loans that fueled the foreclosure crisis than other lenders did.

Blame for the present debacle lies primarily with the Commodity Futures Trading Act of 2000, written by investment lawyers and sneaked into a Congressional appropriates bill by Phil Gramm, John McCain's campaign co-chair and primary economic advisor until he called Americans "whiners" in July. By legalizing credit default swaps and prohibiting government regulation of them Gramm created a $62 trillion market-in-the-dark that used swaps to gamble in a game in which no one could accurately evaluate the bundled mortgages being sold or recognize the inability of the unregulated swaps to mitigate risk.

Insiders think McCain may pick Gramm, whom he called "one of the smartest people in the world on economics," for Treasury secretary.John L. Ward,Gainesville

BLAMING THE RICHIn Natalie Cornell's Sept. 25 letter she made an accurate point that it is imperative that we, as a country, find a way to pay our bills. Unfortunately, she attempted to embolden the case that Joe Biden made that paying taxes should be viewed as patriotic.

Further, she actually said that our country has a history of expecting the rich to pay more and that this is fair for the "millionaires" in our country.

I wonder if she realizes that currently the top 25% of all tax filers in this country, representing all of those earning about $65,000 and above, pay over 86% of all taxes. Again, this persistent focus on the so-called "rich" completely ignores the fact that the bottom 50% of all tax filers pay a mere 3% of all taxes.

While there are many issues that may cause one to vote one way or another, it is the constant drumbeat of this argument that continues to divide us.

Finally, she makes a point that the idea that the rich should pay more is founded in the concept of "the idea that to whom more is given, more is expected". While this is a commonly used biblical quote, I'm not sure that the Apostle Luke had our tax system in mind.

Locally, many of our "rich" have letters following their names like MD, DMD, ESQ, PHD, MBA, and Head Coach, and I'm certain that the word "given" did not apply as they worked and struggled to get there.

If you were to really pay attention to the current election, I believe you will find the more accurate quote to describe things in our country these days may be "to whom more is given, nothing is expected".Todd Chase,Gainesville

THE MEDIA GOT IT WRONGMedia analysts declared Friday's presidential debate a draw, but I disagree. Observe the messages of tone and body language:Senator Obama was respectful and polite with a light smile on his face when he directly addressed Senator McCain. His restrained tone was consistent with the intellectual message he was trying to communicate through words.

When responding to Jim Lehrer's questions, he looked directly at the camera and expressed his ideas in clear language.

In contrast, Senator McCain's tone was at times sneering and petulant, even whining when he addressed his opponent. He often rudely talked over and interrupted Senator Obama's responses and his tight facial expressions reflected that aggressiveness. Would he have been as disrespectful if his opponent had a lighter skin color?

When McCain responded to Lehrer's questions he often avoided looking at the camera and he recited the fuzzy generalities we've heard over and over from his campaign, a one-answer-fits-all approach.

I think McCain's behavior reveals an increasing defensiveness. Underneath the veneer, does he doubt his own intellectual competence and understanding? Is he beginning to question his own judgment? He must be increasingly aware of his judgment failure when he nominated Sarah Palin as vice president.

When that White House phone rings at 3 a.m., I'll have much greater confidence in Barack Obama's carefully reasoned responses than the high-stakes-gambler responses of an aging John McCain (or a scary Sarah Palin).Phyllis Saarinen,Gainesville

OBAMA EMBODIES CHANGEWhile watching the Presidential debates on Friday I was struck by how different these candidates are. Only one of them is statesmanlike, in his demeanor and thinking, and that is Barack Obama.

His command of the issues, his deep and insightful analysis of very complex issues, his vision for what our country can be, his calm and respectful presence, and yes, his respect for Senator McCain (which was not reciprocated) show some of the strengths he would bring to our country as President.

Barack Obama's analysis of the issues showed a well-reasoned understanding of where we need to go in this country. Senator McCain showed us more of what we have seen for the last 8 years, including an inability or unwillingness to make the needs of ordinary citizens a priority. Additionally, McCain refused to express a new vision for resolving multiple crises in the Middle East, instead pressing on with the same dogged emphasis on Iraq that we have seen under President Bush.

Obama committed himself to fighting against terrorism at its roots, in Afghanistan, and addressing its spread across other borders. War is costing the U.S.10 billion a month at this time of economic crisis in our country. Careful and economically responsible decisions need to be made about defense spending, rather than commitments to the war in Iraq without any timetable. Obama embodies change in every way, but without rancor or condescension; instead he communicates knowledge of the issues and respect for the American people...as well as for his opponent.Suzanna Smith,Gainesville

SHAMELESS DEMOCRATSDemocrats have no shame. They caused the credit crisis but blame Republicans! And the mainstream media refuses to investigate anything that might place blame on the Democrats, especially Obama. Democrats invented the Community Development Act which forced lenders to approve risky mortgages in the name of "affordable housing."

They protected disgraced former Fannie Mae CEOs Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson, who are both current Obama advisors. They protected Raines and Johnson at hearings looking into Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's improper accounting practices. Democrats heaped praise on the giant companies and tried to discredit the regulators. Raines has agreed to pay a multi-million dollar settlement for his responsibility for improper accounting practices at the mortgage finance giant. Over the years, from 2003 to present, Democrats have ignored warnings from Allen Greenspan, President Bush, John McCain and others.

Did Obama see the problem and try to fix it? No. Did McCain see the problem and try to fix it. Yes. From the Congressional Records, we see where Senator McCain said, "Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae's regulator reported that the company's quarterly reports over the past few years were "illusions deliberately and systematically created" by the company's senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal." He further said, "If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole."

Repeatedly, Republicans called for better oversight and regulations but Democrats refused to (as usual) come to the table. Any idiot can get on the Internet and check the facts. What does this say about reporters in the mainstream media?

P.S. Shouldn't Obama's connection to ACORN, a discredited organization, be investigated by a reporter? After all, the bail out bill before Congress right now hands taxpayer's hard earned money to them. Another good investigative story might be, "Can the Congressmen who caused the credit crisis investigate who caused it?" Deanna May,Starke

INEXPERIENCE IS DANGEROUSTom Brokaw proclaimed that those of us who were born during WW-I, surviving a world depression and serving in the military during WW-II were to be considered a member of his "Greatest Generation". With this thought in mind may I submit that history tends to repeat! Please consider the following remarks:

During the depression years the government efforts were directed toward easing the discomfort of the populous while giving little consideration to the overall security of the country. It took the tragic event of Dec. 7 and Pearl Harbor to awaken us to the danger of a weak defense establishment.

WW-II was won, not only by a superior fighting force but by an industrial complex with able CEOs at the helm. Today, many leaders of industry are condemned and ridiculed by a liberal congress. Profits, appear to to be a dirty word. Raising taxes and nationalizing corporations is their mantra. Should we punish those who have made our industrial accomplishments the envy of the world?

There is much to be feared when we elect a person of limited leadership experience in both defense and industry. Do we wnt to repeat the errors of the past?French L. AlkireGainesville

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